Last-mile connectivity: Route rejig likely for autos
Times of India | 22 August 2025
Kolkata: The opening of three new metro alignments is set to change the way commuters travel in Kolkata. Now, transport department officials and auto unions are working on reconfiguring routes so that autos will run perpendicular to the Metro corridors, instead of having a parallel run. Several buses that currently terminate at Sealdah are being directed to extend their services to Salt Lake and New Town to reduce commuter bottlenecks. "Autos will remain the mainstay of last-mile connectivitys," said Sibaji Sinha, a local auto-union leader at Dum Dum Cantonment, where multiple auto and e-rickshaw routes converge with the Sealdah–Bongaon suburban rail line.
Routes like Nager Bazar– Jessore Road and Noapara–Tobin Road are likely to undergo reconfiguration. Meanwhile, autos plying from Dum Dum Cantonment to Airport and Birati signalled they will continue operating, citing their role in connecting inner neighbourhoods and bypassing congested arterial roads.
In south and central Kolkata, autos along Tangra and Beleghata are eyeing operations from the upcoming Beleghata Metro station. However, traffic police have ruled out direct crossings of the EM Bypass until a foot overbridge (FOB) becomes operational. "Only Metropolitan crossing will be allowed. It is impossible to permit autos to cross over until proper pedestrian and traffic infrastructure is ready," said a senior traffic officer. In the Burrabazar–Sealdah stretch, autos running along MG Road are expected to continue serving Metro passengers. The transport department has also urged app-based mobility operators to recalibrate their feeder services around the new stations.